James Jones opts out of Miami Heat contract – NBA Update
Miami Heat small forward James Jones has confirmed that he will hit the free agency after opting out of his deal with the Miami Heat.
Jones was an important role player for the Miami Heat during the last season when the team was finding its rhythm after acquiring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to form the Big Three that also had Dwyane Wade. The Miami Heat roster
was deemed to lack depth by many analysts but contributions from players like James Jones and Mario Chalmers off the bench helped them get through the season in fine shape.
James Jones was particularly important for the Heat as he filled in throughout the regular season for the often injured Mike Miller. Jones consistently knocked down shots for the Heat and had a very impressive 42.9 percent conversion
from beyond the arc, which was actually higher than his field goal percentage. James Jones also scored the highest amount of 3-pointer of his career last season with 123.
His stock rose considerably throughout the season and reached a pinnacle when he won the 3-point contest at the all star weekend.
Therefore, it did not come as a surprise when Jones decided to test the free market instead of continuing on his minimum wage contract, $1.3 million. However, he did not rule out the possibility of coming back to the Heat,
"I just decided to become a free agent," he said. "My goal is still to find the best situation for me, and that possibly could be Miami."
Despite being solid all season, James Jones saw increasingly less time as the playoffs progressed and he was benched for all six games of the NBA Finals. It was a clear indication that with Mike Miller back to fitness, James Jones
fell way behind in the pecking order for Miami. Miller is regarded as a better shooter, dribbler and rebounder than James Jones.
It had been rumoured that Jones was unhappy at being shoved aside in the NBA Finals but he dismissed the notion,
"If anything," Jones said, "making it to the Finals is an enticement to stay."
James Jones will now be looking at what the other NBA teams can offer him before deciding on his future. Jones will be confident that after such a strong season he will attract plenty of offers from NBA franchises, although with
the new, and tighter, CBA looming, those offers might not be as lucrative as he would have liked.
It would be interesting to see how the Miami Heat respond to this situation. Jones had a good season for them and they might not be comfortable relying on just Mike Miller, whose fitness remains an issue.
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